Further to Brad's comments on the ice - rarely is ice actually white. The same thing can be said for the boards. In most rinks, the grandstands are not lit, and the ice is not only lit, but it is a bright, white-like color. Because of this, we assume it's white. Our brains see all this "white" and we adjust our perception of the colors we're seeing.
However, our cameras are just instruments - they aren't normally fooled by things like this, especially if you're shooting manual and exposing for the players. Most teams' white uniforms are closer to real white, since they can be bleached and laundered.
So, what can end up happening is you get a properly white balanced image and the ice looks "off". Here's an example of this:
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Every time I shot at this local rink, I struggled to get the white balance near correct since the light was an off color and the ice was always, always a dirty color. I tried to get the uniforms close to an actual white, but you can see what color the ice ends up looking.
Also notice that the ice isn't blown out, and it is distinct from the jerseys and players.
Here's another example of different shades of white:
You'll notice the ice is a different color than the boards, and they are both different than the white in Thornton's jersey. Also note that the detail in the ice is still visible and not blown out (notice the blue line peaking out from beneath the dirty ice, in front of Thornton and the puck).
Hockey isn't an easy sport to shoot under the best of lighting. But, it's a great sport where you can get some very, very cool images even at youth levels.
